A task force charged with blazing a new path for Green Hill Cemetery has found common ground in the wake of last year’s grave decoration controversy.
The task force spent the past nine months grappling with sensitive issues of what should and shouldn’t be allowed in Waynesville’s historic cemetery. The town appointed the task force in the fallout of a cemetery clean-up that went too far with a mass purge of grave embellishments that didn’t meet cemetery rules.
The task force was charged with coming up with new rules that strike a balance. The proposed rules rein in free-for-all adornments that interfere with mowing and detract from the cemetery’s beauty and enjoyment by others, but without being overly restrictive and still making room for personal touches and remembrances at grave sites.
“We’ve made some great strides, especially in opening the lines of communication to balance the town’s needs and what those with loved ones buried in the cemetery want,” Waynesville Assistant Town Manager Amie Owens said.
Some of the issues tackled in the proposed rules are whether lights should be allowed on graves, how to handle trinkets and momentos placed around headstones, and whether cemetery tours should be banned.
To ensure maximum public comment, the town board will hold two public hearings at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Feb. 11, at new town hall.
Another outcome of the process was to make the task force a permanent town committee. Rather than disband the task force now that its initial work is done, it will morph into an official town committee.
Like other town committees, it will have staggered appointments, with a portion of the seats coming up for appointment each year.
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